Fresh off their meticulously crafted debut album “Bothwell,” the Scottish-born duo Sujokalo bursts onto the scene with an unwavering passion for their craft.
In an exclusive interview with Happy, Sujokalo delve into their creative process, musical influences, and the captivating journey behind their unique sonic approach.
With a blend of genres like psychedelia, ambient, indie, dream-pop, and rave, Sujokalo takes listeners on a whimsical musical adventure. They share insights into tracks like the mesmerizing opener “Sugar” and the uplifting gem “Even In The Summer,” drawing comparisons to indie pop darlings Beach House.
Collaborating with Grammy-nominated engineer Joe Carra on mastering, Sujokalo’s sound reaches new heights, captivating listeners with its lush textures.
Looking ahead, Sujokalo is laser-focused on writing their next album and delivering unforgettable live performances. As they continue to explore new sonic territories, Sujokalo finds happiness in laughter, solid relationships, and the magical power of music.
Get ready to embark on a joyous journey with Sujokalo as they redefine the boundaries of contemporary music.
Happy: What are you up to today?
David: Working on a new track and reorganising the studio for some incoming hardware.
Rowan: Soaking up some winter sun, making pasta, and joining David in the studio later.
Happy: Tell us about where you are from? What’s the music scene like in your neck of the woods?
Rowan: Scotland, where we’re both originally from, has always had a great scene. We first met in a club in Edinburgh, and quickly realised we have a shared love of music across multiple genres.
Including Scottish artists like Jesus & Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins, Primal Scream, and The Waterboys etc.
Although we now call Sydney home, we still follow what’s going on back in Scotland and have a lot of friends doing some really great stuff right now. Kieran Apter’s CB90 label has been consistently putting out solid work, and Edinburgh based Linkwood has been delivering the goods too.
David: Scotland has such a rich tradition of great artists like Dot Allison, Teenage Fanclub, Frightened Rabbit, Idlewild, Belle & Sebastian, Mogwai, Orange Juice… the list is endless.
But in recent years, Rebecca Vasmant has been making some great sounds with her ensemble, and the new Django Django track is right up my street.
The Athens of the North label in Edinburgh can barely put a foot wrong too, and has been putting out great work for years. I’ve had their latest offering, Everything Is Slow by Bright and Findlay (a collaboration between James Alexander Bright and Tom Findlay of Groove Armada) on repeat since it dropped a few weeks back. The new Eyes of Others album on Heavenly is a great listen too.
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Happy: Tell us about your creative community. Who are some artists or bands that have inspired you, and how have they influenced your music?
David: As you can imagine, we draw inspiration from a lot of different places and I guess that’s evident in what we do. Psychedelia, ambient, indie, dream-pop, shoegaze, rave, and a bit of everything really, all play a part.
I also can’t look past a good pop song as I’m a sucker for an infectious hook. Kita Alexander’s Queen is a good case in point. That is an absolute fucking banger.
Rowan: There’s far too many to list, which is probably why we blend genres. I think the underlying thing that connects it all for me, is to have an emotive element that makes me feel something.
The groove or sound has to pull me in, whether its psychedelia, shoegaze, trip hop, ambient, or whatever it is. I’m always drawn to when instruments and vocals wash together.
Happy: What did you read or watch last that opened your eyes and mind to a new perspective?
David: Umberto Eco’s Book of Legendary Lands is something I always go back to. It’s such a beautifully written and illustrated exploration of the human yearning to imagine intricate worlds.
Faith, antiquity, science-fiction, comic books, and mythology all mingle as Eco dissects the mystery of why these stories endure, and how these fictional narratives affect our reality.
Rowan: I’m a big fiction fan, I just love a good story. Particularly Japanese fiction. My favourite writer is Haruki Murakami. He always leaves me with a fresh insight. Stand-outs being Wind up Bird Chronicle and Sputnik Sweetheart.
Happy: Your music has been described as “playing rave records at the wrong speed.” Can you elaborate on the inspiration behind this unique sonic approach and how you developed your distinctive sound?
David: We definitely have an affinity for the atmospheric and euphoric textures of early 90s UK rave and jungle, and it’s something that finds its way into a lot of our music.
The use of sampling, and the limitations of the hardware used in those old tracks, often throws up weird harmonics. And it’s those harmonics that are sewn across our entire album, albeit via guitar, analogue synthesis or vocal harmonies.
The layering of breakbeats and syncopated rhythms is another technique we utilise. Although our current stuff is quite a bit more downbeat than the 140bpm+ tracks of yesteryear. This probably where the slowed down rave comparison comes from.
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Happy: “Bothwell” is a meticulously crafted debut album, showcasing a diverse range of genres and styles. How did you navigate blending elements of dream-pop, shoegaze, ambient, and breakbeat to create a cohesive musical journey?
David: We tend to lean into the parallel thinking across those genres as a way to free ourselves from having to be pigeon-holed. We never really aim to write a track in a particular style or genre as we’re more likely to just see what comes out when we’re in the studio.
Even songs that start life as an acoustic track can end up quite electronic or vice versa. That’s the fun part. The glue that holds the tracks together though is Rowan’s vocals and our production style.
Rowan: We’ve never really felt bound by any genre, but it is important that it sounds like us, and that is what we set out to achieve with this particular set of tracks on Bothwell.
There is definitely a thread running through the whole album, whether it’s through harmonies, beats, hypnotic bass, or David’s guitar playing. The line from the first track, Sugar, to the last, Say Something, is quite deliberate and it was always meant to be a journey.
Happy: Can you share some insights into the songwriting and production process for “Bothwell”?
David: Our songs either begin life on acoustic instruments or synths and drum machines. Sometimes both at the same time. If we feel like something is pointing in the right direction, we’ll hit record and jam it out.
Once we’ve explored it as far we can take it, we park it and listen to it with fresh ears in a few weeks or so. We find this helps keep the music fresh and stops us getting hung up or distracted by specific production or mixing whilst we are trying to write. Other times, we will simply take a song into the studio as a finished piece to record.
Rowan: Some songs just fall out of the sky and others take far longer. For instance, Falling Down came quite quickly and was recorded almost right away. Tripping Awake on the other hand took many different forms before we settled on how it is today.
These moments are great though as it encourages us to be more ruthless in the studio and just focus on the good stuff.
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Happy: You collaborated with Grammy-nominated engineer Joe Carra on mastering the album. How did this collaboration come about, and how did Joe’s expertise enhance the overall sonic experience of “Bothwell”?
David: We were aware of Joe’s incredible work through the years so, when it came to finding somebody to master Bothwell, his name was top of our list. Joe’s contribution to Bothwell was invaluable to us as he really understood what it was we were trying to achieve and brought a sense of completion to the album.
Rowan: I was blown away with how much Joe elevated the tracks on the album and his experience really shows. Although you can listen to any of the tracks in isolation, we very much think of the album as a journey and a complete piece, and Joe understood that.
Your album opener, “Sugar,” takes listeners on an inward journey through a twinkling universe before transitioning into a captivating beat. Can you talk about the intention behind this track and how it sets the tone for the rest of the album?
David: Sugar was always going to be the first track on the album as we feel it really sets the scene for what comes next. It’s one of the longer tracks on the album, and it undulates through quite a few different phases and movements, which I guess is characteristic of the album as a whole.
Happy: “Even In The Summer” showcases a remarkable set of talents and a wealth of musical knowledge, drawing comparisons to indie pop darlings Beach House. Can you discuss the influences and inspirations behind this particular song?
David: This was one of the first tracks we wrote for Bothwell, and something we had a clearer vision for from the get-go. We wanted to write something with a jangle-pop vibe that sounded so positive and uplifting, but with bittersweet and introspective lyrics.
Rowan: The idea with this track was to juxtapose melancholic lyrics against bright and breezy beach-pop to create something that could be listened to in different ways. Ive always been interested in that kind of bittersweet element that can come from pop songs. No one does that better than ABBA, and who doesn’t love ABBA.
Happy: “Lullaby” and “The Road” seem to carry a sense of introspection and explore themes of love. What emotions or experiences influenced these songs, and how do they contribute to the album’s overall narrative?
Rowan: To be honest I never really thought about them as love songs during the process, they just organically felt right. I think there’s a feeling of deep longing that finds its way into most of our songs. We’re probably just a couple of hopeless romantics.
Happy: What are you looking to achieve in the near future?
David: We’re pretty focused on writing the new album, closely followed by playing more live shows. With the live stuff we want to be sure that, not only do we do the album justice, but also that the performances take on a life of their own and not just be an ersatz version of the recorded tracks.
Rowan: We’ve got some interesting new projects that we’re working on, such as a collection of remixes of tracks from Bothwell by other producers set for release later this year. We’re definitely feeling excited with how our sound is growing and what we are doing with some of our new gear, so it’s exciting to see how we going to fold the new equipment, and indeed the new songs, into our live shows.
Happy: Do you have any gear that you can’t live without?
David: Out of all our equipment, it would have to be my custom Fender Telecaster which is quite unique and sentimental to me. Having a piano or acoustic guitar close to hand is a must for me too. Being able to get up and jam out an idea, or just lose yourself for hours on piano or guitar is something I try to do as often as I can.
Rowan: Having any acoustic instruments close to hand is a must, but I do enjoy experimenting with our modular set-up for it’s endless possibilities. We’ve got an old beaten-up Akai micro keyboard, which has travelled the world with us, that has been the starting point of many of our tracks.
Happy: Lastly, what makes you Happy?
David: In no particular order… making people laugh, food, music, DJing, travel, and waterslides.
Rowan: Being around solid people, dancing, plants, and being by the ocean.
